Book cover



Patented Sept. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1300 oovna.

1,553,671 FIICE.

' Application filed August 22', 1921. Serial No. 494,193. I i

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT J. COPELAND, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of the city of Toronto, county of York, Province of Ontario, in the Dominion of'Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Book Covers, described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,"

that form part of the same.

The objects of this invention are, to provide a cover which willwithstand the wear and tear of long usage so as to effectively protect the leaves of the book and maintain them in good condition and which will retain a good appearance.

The principal feature of the invention consists in constructing a frame of a tough homogeneous material such as vulcanized fibre and rigidly connecting the members of the frame with a reinforcing sheet material and forming a structure presenting wear resisting edges.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cover constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional View through Figure 1.

'Figure 4 is a sectional View of a modified structure.

It has been the custom for many'years to form the body of the book covers of several ply of what is known as mill-board and these are covered with leather or cloth but it has been found that through continued use the layers of material of which the millboard is formed separate and the edges and corners become soft and pulpy andthe cover has to be discarded. Further, the covers of large books such as bank ledgers become misshapen and broken across through leaning upon them and metal bindings of various kinds have been resorted to in an effort to lengthen their service.

The present invention overcomes these objectionable features by utilizing a tough and flexible material which will retain its shape and may be readily machined to any desired form enabling the sections to be fitted together and secured to form a strong anddurable cover which will present an attractive appearance.

In the construction herein shown, a thin sheet 1 of strong tough material such as vuland the sheet.

canized fibre or sheet steel is cut the desired shape and size and to the edges of this sheet are secured the side and end strips 2 and 3 respectively forming a rigid frame. These.

strips are formed of material such as vulcanized fibre preferably of a solid section having longitudinal grooves 4 to receive the edges of the sheet 1. The strips when fitted on the sheet 1 are rigidly secured preferably by the rivets 5 which A back strip 6 is secured at the hinge end of g the cover and this is also preferably formed with a groove 7 in the edge to receive the edge of the sheetl which is also riveted securely. A groove 8 is formed in the outer edge of the member 6 to receive the hinge member 9. I

Filling panels 10 of mill-board or other suitable material are inserted in the panel recesses formed between the fibre edges and these are riveted through the central reinforcing plate 1, thus further stiffening the whole structure. A facing of leather or other suitable material may be secured to the face of the panelslO and the panels may be slightly depressed if desired so that the facing will be protected from wear by the fibre edge strips.

In the form shown in Figure 4 extra reinforcing strips 11 of thin spring steel are arranged to extend longitudinally of the cover, the outer strips fitting in the edge grooves of the side fibre strips 2 and being riveted to the edge strips.

A cover constructed as described is practically indestructible. It is sufficiently flexible to yield under heavy strain but willnot crack or break and its sectional reinforced structure ensures its return to its normal shape when the strain is relieved. Further, it will not warp out of shape and the fibre will not become disfigured through long continued. use.

Another very importantfeature of this invention is that thematerial used may be very accurately machined so that the sec tions will fit together snugly and the assembling may be accomplished very rapidly. The slow and expensive book binding methods of wrapping and gluing as usually practiced are thus eliminated.

What I claim as my invention is 1. 'A book cover comprising a rigid four sided frame of vulcanized fibre having slotted inner edges, 2. thin sheet of a tough,

pass through the strips sari strong, homogeneous material extending into theslots in said frame and being rigidly secured therein connecting and reinforcing'the members of said frame, and panels of a light and soft material'fitted between the members of said frame and covering said reinforcing sheet.

2. A book cover comprising a thin rectangularsheet 0f vulcanized fibre, a frame of vulcanlzed .fibrehainng slotted inner edges embracing the fonredges of the sheet, rivets :binding the slotted edgesof the frame to the :edges of said sheet, and cardboard panels secured to the sheetsand fitting'between the in :neredges of the frame.

.cardboard secured 3. A book cover comprising a sheet of thin tough material, edge strips of greater thicknessthan said sheet grooved to receive said sheet spring metal strips extending longitudinally of said sheet'and extending into saidngrooves, and rivets securing said edge strips and metal strips to said sheet. I

,4. A book cover comprising a thin sheet of vulcanized fibre, a frame of vulcanized fibre embracing the edges of said sheet and rigidly'conneoted thereto, and panels of to said sheet within the frame.

ROBERT J. COPELAND. 

